Taking Chances
by Jo Eveleigh
Summary: Sarah Delacaure met an accident at the night of her engagement. Eric rescued her and took her to England with him. She was unconscious for 6 months.when she woke up she found out that her fiance was engaged to her cousin and they all thought Sarah's dead.


**I wrote this story last December 2006. After 7 chapters, i lacked time and interest to finish it. after almost 4 years, i found it in my USB and i decided to publish it here. i was laughing at myself for my simple story and poor grammar back then. but, i still decided to publish it here instead of deleting it. this story has been a part of me when i was in my second year high school and i would never put it to waste. i still want to become a writer/novelist. but, this time, i want to write regency novels. i hope someday, i would be able to write a fabulous story and have it published.**

***i own this story and the characters*  
**

**Prologue**

New York

She walked about the hotel room and looked at the mirror to see herself with her beautiful torquiose gown. She was ready to go to her engagement party.

"Tonight, I will be the future Mrs. Hampton!" Sarah said to herself as she looked herself at the mirror. "I can't wait to go back to England after this engagement party! I really miss my country."

Just then, the door burst open. And in came her cousin, Nathalie. "Are you ready to go?" she said as soon as she entered the room. "We're almost late! They are probably waiting for us by now."

"Do I look presentable?" Sarah asked. She may be the most beautiful girl in the world. She has a long-layered blonde hair and she has a very smooth and white perfect skin. She is 5'11" tall. She has a perfect body, and her pink lips are perfectly shaped, and her sapphire eyes were round as almonds. Oh yes, she is the most beautiful and the most perfect woman in the world.

"Are you insulting me?" Nathalie asked. "Everyone knows how beautiful you are and that every beautiful dress suits you. So why ask me?Anyway, are you ready to go or not?"

"I'm ready to go!" Sarah said, as she looked herself in the mirror for the last time.

"At last," Nathalie muttered.

**Chapter 1**

"Wait!" Nathalie said, as she stopped the car. Across the street was a small grocery store.

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"I need to buy something," Nathalie said, getting out of the car. "Just stay here in the car and wait for me."

"What are you going to buy anyway?" Sarah asked in wonder. "Can't I go with you?"

"No! Just stay here and wait for me. I'll be back as soon as possible. Don't look at me like that. You'll be fine, don't worry." As soon as she said this, she closed the door of the car and went inside the small grocery store across the street.

"Have you seen Sarah? I can't find her anywhere." Daniel Hampton asked his friend, Tad.

"Nope! Sorry, I haven't seen her." answered Tad.

"That's ok," Daniel said, disappointed. "Thanks anyway and enjoy the party."

"Daniel!" came a familiar voice. It's Nathalie, wearing a beautiful pink gown with a big diamond necklace about her neck. Her very long blonde hair swinging as she walked toward Daniel. She is beautiful, but not as beautiful as Sarah. You can't compare Sarah's beauty to any woman on earth.

"Nathalie! Where's Sarah? Have you seen her? Is she with you?" Daniel said, his voice urgent.

"Sorry, she's not with me. She forgot something and she went back to the hotel to get it," Nathalie said. "But don't worry, she'll be here. She said that she'll try her very best to get here as soon as possible."

"I hope so. I'm so worried about her. Do you think she's ok?"

"Of course she is. You're being a little paranoid." Nathalie said, taking the wine the waiter had offered her.

"I'm just worried. That's all." Daniel said, glancing at the entrance door of the hall to see if Sarah has arrived yet.

Just then, Daniel's phone rang. And when he answered it, his expression changed. Then, he dropped the phone and started running as fast as he could.

Nathalie ran after him, but she's not fast enough to catch up with Daniel. As Nathalie reached for the entrance door, a hand grasped her wrist. When she turned around, she saw that it was her mother grasping her wrist.

"Don't you dare follow him!" her mother, Eugenia, hissed.

"Mom, I'm scared!"

"Don't be. Everything's going to be alright. I know you Nathalie, when you're feeling guilty, you can't hide it. So you should not follow him because you'll regret it. You have to stay here and wait for him to return with tears in his eyes. You should follow the plan or its jail for the both of us. Do you understand?" she whisperes at her daughter.

"Yes, mother." Nathalie said, tears forming in her eyes.

"Good. Look Nathalie, I'm doing this for you. It's for your own good." She lowered her voice. "You want Daniel, right? And you love him?"

"Of course, mom. But—" she broke off because coming toward them was Daniel's mother.

"Ah, Elisa," Eugenia said with big open arms to hug her friend. "You look wonderful in every dress you wear."

"Thank you," she said. "You too look ravishing in that dress. Anyway, have you seen Daniel? I really want to see him in his big night. You know, tonight he's going to be engaged. Oh my, is this Nathalie? Wow, she's so beautiful," she said, glancing at Nathalie. "Do you still remember me Nathalie? The last time I saw you, you were just 10 years old."

"Thank you Mrs. Hampton," Nathalie said. As she said this, she glanced up and saw Daniel, walking slowly toward them. His tuxedo was dirty. Tears were flowing from his eyes. He was holding a golden necklace and she knew that it was Sarah's. When he saw his mother, he ran to her and hugged her.

"What happened, dear? Where have you been? And why are you crying?"

"Mother," he whispered, and then cried again. "It's Sarah, she's—she—she—she's—dead."

"What?" Eugenia, Elisa, and Nathalie asked. There were tears in their eyes.

"She's dead. Her car was blown up," Daniel said, sobbing. He raised the necklace, "This is the only one she left."

**Chapter 2**

6 Months Later

Berkshire, England

Sarah woke up and found herself in a hospital. "Where am I?" she asked herself. She is definitely not in New York. The air is different. She looked about the room. There were fruits and flowers on the table. "What am I doing here?"

The door burst open and in came a man she'd never seen before. He is tall, he was 4 inches taller than her. He has a very thick black hair. His eyes were dark green and his lips look soft. He was holding a cell phone in his hand. He may be the most handsome and perfect man in the world, she thought.

"Oh, you're awake at last," the man said happily as he put his phone on the table. He has a very beautiful voice, she thought.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, putting his hand on her forehead. "I guess you're ok now." He smiled broadly at her, his perfectly white teeth showing.

"So, what's your name?"

"S—Sa—S—Sa—Sa—rah—Um—Sarah," she said, then she coughed.

"Sarah? Sarah is your name?" he asked. "What a beautiful name you have. I'm Lee Alastair Eric Hamilton. You can call me Eric. It's nice to meet you Sarah," he said, stretching his hand to shake hers.

"Where am I?" she asked, trying to get up.

"You're in a private hospital in England," he said as he helped her to get up.

"England?" she asked in wonder. "How? Where? Why?"

"Please, let me explain. I was on my way to the airport in New York when I found you unconscious on the road, near a blowned-up car. I have no idea who you were and where you llive. I can't find your I.D. or driver's license for some identification. I really need to go back here in England but I couldn't leave you on the road alone, lying unconscious with blood on your head. So I called my assistant to tell her that I need my private jet as soon as possible. Sorry, I know I have no right to bring you here with me, but it's the only way I can think of. I brought you here in this hospital in Berkshire. The doctor said that you'll be fine, but you will be suffering from comatose. You've been sleeping for 6 months now. And I'm very glad that you're awake at last."

She just stared at him, stared at his beautiful emerald eyes. She's too shocked to speak.

"Are you ok?" Eric asked. "Do you want me to call the doctor?"

"No," she managed to say. It was all too sudden. The last thing she remembered was when she was inside her car waiting for Nathalie, she got off the car for some fresh air. And after a few seconds, when she was merely 2 meters away from the car, it exploded.

Her eyes widened. "Car," she whispered.

"What did you say?"

"Car—Nathalie—party," she looked up at him. "Daniel," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. The next minute, she was crying in his arms.

"Don't cry. I'm sorry," he lifted her chin so he can see her. "Don't worry. I'll help you. You should rest first and forget what happened. When you're ready, I'll take you back to your family." Sarah merely nodded her head as she cried harder and harder.

"Home at last!" Nathalie said as she walked about the room—her room. "I've missed England so much!"

She rummaged her bag, withdrew her phone and started dialing. "Hello," she said excitedly. "Ok, I'll see you soon! Bye! Love you!" When she hanged up, she went to her closet to change clothes.

"Do you like it?" Daniel asked a moment later. They were eating in a seafood restaurant in London.

"Of course I do!"

"I know you would. I know very well how much you love jewelry, and ir maches the engagement ring i gave you" he said, looking at Nathalie across the table. She was holding a large diamond necklace in her hand. "I think i deserve a kiss for that," he said, looking at her with his sparkling blue eyes.

"Absolutely," she said happily. She got up and placed a soft kissed on his lips.

"Happy?" he asked.

"Very, very happy," she said as she hugged him.

"So, what do you think?" Eric asked Sarah who was wandering about the big room. "Do you like it? This will be your room from now on."

"It's beautiful," she said. The room was perfect. The furniture, canopy, everthing. "I love it."

"Really?" he asked. "Well, make yourself at home. Do whatever you want in this room. Vanessa will be right up to help you. Just wait for her and—oh, before I forgot, I'll be waiting for you for dinner." At that, he left the room with a smile on his face.

After a few minutes, an old lady entered the room. She may be in her forties. "Good evening, miss. I'm Vanessa; I will be your personal maid. What can I do for you?" she asked with a smile.

"Good evening." Sarah said as she smiled at the old woman. "Um, Vanessa, will you help me to get ready for dinner?"

"It would be a pleasure," she said happily as she led Sarah to a big dressing room. The walk-in closet is full of dresses, gowns, shoes, bags, hats, jewelries, gloves and etcetera. There was a big mirror in the wall of the dressing room, a sofa and a small table.

**Chapter 3**

She woke up with a smile on her face. The last three days were the most happiest days of her life since she woke up from the hospital. On the first day, she and Eric went to dinner together and he said that she's more beautiful than before. That night, Eric went to bed at 9. But before he went to his room, he promised her that they will go fishing in the morning.

So the next day, he showed her the lake and they went fishing. During the afternoon, they ate their lunch and made each other laugh. After lunch, they went to the library to read some books. At dinner, she listened to him as he told a story about a guy who killed his friend because of a shoe. They laughed hard when Eric told her that the man who killed his friend was the shoe after all.

The third day must have been the happiest day of her life. They went to the stables to ride horses. There, she met Phyllis. Phyllis is a beautiful white mare with a black spot on her neck. She is one of the most beautiful horses.

"Do you like her?" Eric had asked Sarah.

"Yes, I like her. She's _soooooo_ beautiful." Sarah had said as she looked at the white horse.

"She's yours from now on." Eric had said with a smile.

"Oh, but—"

"I insist," Eric had said. "She is now yours. You like her, right?"

"Yes, I like her very much. But I couldn't—" she broke off because he was looking at her as though she had offended him by trying to reject his offer. Finally, she said, "Ok, I'll keep her.

"Thank you," she had said to him with sincerity.

She smiled again at the memory. Then she got up and went to the bathroom to take a bath. "I hope today will be another perfect day!" she said to herself as she took her clothes off.

"Daniel, you have to take a look at this," Nathalie said as she handed the newspaper to Daniel.

"Look! We're in the front page." Nathalie said cheerfully.

"Wow. You're right," he said, looking at the newspaper. "The news of our engagement is spreading quickly like a wild fire."

"I think that's great, is it not?." Nathalie said as she linked her arm in Daniel's. "Where shall we have our lunch?" she asked him.

"I made reservations for us at the restaurant near Westminister Abbey," he said as he opened the door of the car for Nathalie. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that our company has a new partner."

"Really? What company? The 'Witmorth Enterprise'?" she guessed.

"No, it's the 'Hamilton Enterprise' " he said with a smile.

"No way! Wow, that's the most famous company in Great Britain. I'm so proud of you. No wonder your mother put you in-charged," she said to him with a grin in her face. "Anyway, you want to join me for dinner tonight?" she asked.

"Sorry, I can't. I have to meet someone tomorrow and I want to sleep early. I don't think I would eat dinner tonight. But there's always tomorrow." He said, and then he laughed at the look of her face. She's like a 3-year old girl whose mommy said that she can't have the toy she wants.

"And just who will you meet tomorrow?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, the president of the 'Hamilton Enterprise', we will meet again tomorrow." he said as he looked at her blue eyes.

"Is the president a woman?" she loked away from him as she asked.

"Are you jealous? You shouldn't be because i'm positively sure that the president is a man. I can assure you that since I met him yesterday."

Nathalie turned to look at him with a big smile. "Well, good luck then and I'm sure you'll get that old man's trust."

"Old man?" he asked laughingly. "What do you mean? You think that the president of the 'Hamilton Enterprise' is an old man? Where did you get that idea?" he was still laughing at her.

"Don't laugh at me. Almost every president of a famous company is old."

"So are you saying that my mother is old?" he asked, eyeing her.

"I didn't say anything like that. And besides, your mother's not old, she looks like a teenager. And I said that 'almost every president' _almost, _not _all._ So tell me, how old is that president of the world-famous company is?" she asked with sarcasm. "Is he a ten-year old boy? Or is he a baby? Or, I'm right after all that he's an old man."

"Ok, you made your point. But he's not old. He is only 23 years old. It's amazing right? He is so intelligent and smart. I've met him yesterday, but not that long because he said he needs to go home early. He is very handsome. All of the girls are dying to meet him."

"Really? But no matter how handsome that guy is, for me you're the most handsome man in the world," she said, then she smiled at him sweetly. "I love you," she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Good morning!" Eric said cheerfully. He was sitting on a chair in the garden reading a newspaper. "Come, join me. Sit here." He said as he handed her a piece of English muffin i a saucer. He placed a teacup in front of her and poured it with tea.

"Thank you!" she said as she took a sip. "And good morning to you too," she added as she glanced up at him. Then, she took the newspaper on the table and started reading. As she read the saw the front page, her expression changed. Her eyes widened. On the front page was a picture of Daniel and beside him was Nathalie, her hands were wrapped around Daniel's arms. They looked so happy together. She read the article below the picture. It is written that Daniel and Nathalie were engaged! And that they were back in England from their vacation in New York. She couldn't believe what she was reading. Her fiancé, engaged to another girl! And not just any girl, it was Nathalie, her cousin and best friend! How could they do this to me?, she thought. Tears started flowing from her eyes.

"Are you ok? Is there something wrong?" Eric asked. "Why are you crying? Please tell what's wrong."

"Don't mind me," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm fine. It's just that, I—I got something in my eye. That's all, you don't need to worry. No, don't look at me like that. I'm telling the truth. Excuse me, I need to go to my room. I—uh, I forgot to—uh, put on some—uh, lotion. Please excuse me," she said as she ran toward the house, holding the newspaper in her hand.

She closed the door as soon as she entered her room. Then, she sat by the foot of the bed and started crying hard. "Why?" she asked herself. "Why is this happening to me? What have I done wrong? How could they do this to me? Why? Why? Why?"

There was a knock on the door. It was Eric. He looked so worried. When Sarah looked up at him, he put his finger in his lips. "_Ssssshhh_," he said softly. Then he pulled Sarah into his arms. "It's ok. Don't cry, please. It's going to be alright. I'll protect you. Don't worry; I'm always here for you. I won't leave you, ok?" Sarah just nodded and she began to cry again.

After a few minutes, Sarah stopped crying. "Sorry," she said, as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief that Eric had handed her.

"Are you ok now?" Eric asked, and then Sarah nodded. "Good. So tell me, why are you crying? Did I say something that could hurt your feelings? What? Please, tell me. Please..."

Sarah almost laughed at the look of his face. "You didn't do anything. It's just that, I—I," she sighed, and then she looked at the newspaper on the floor. "I read something horrible and unbelievable on the newspaper. It is said in the newspaper that my—," she sighed again. She looked as though she was about to cry again. "My fiancé is engaged to my cousin. They looked so very happy together. I think that they have already forgotten me."

Eric stood up, picked the newspaper on the floor, and started reading the article. His eyes widened. Then he said, "Oh, my—" he didn't want to say the last word.

"What?" Sarah asked. "Have you seen your fiancée too? And is she engaged to another—"

"He—" Eric said, cutting her off; then he stood and looked at her. "He's your fiancé?" he asked, holding the newspaper in his hand and he pointed at Daniel's picture. Sarah nodded. "Is he the vice-president of the 'Hampton Enterprise'? Is he?" he asked, moving toward her.

"Yes. Why?" she asked in wonder. "How did you know that he is the vice-president of the 'Hampton Enterprise'?"

"I've met him yesterday. Isn't it I told you yesterday that I'm going to meet somebody in London? I couldn't believe it," he said as he sat on the couch. "We will meet again tomorrow morning. I never thought that he—he is your fiancé."

Sarah stood beside him. "You've met him? How is he? He's really good at business isn't he? Is he—" she lowered her voice. "Is he with Nathalie? Answer me! Is he with my cousin?" she asked. She was crying again.

"No, she's not with him. But—"

"But, what?"

"He said something about getting married before the end of the year. He said that her _fiancée_, Nathalie, was his—his," he hesitated. "He said that Nathalie is his life and that he will never live without her. So, that means, he—"

"He forgot about me," Sarah said with a sigh as she sat beside him. "I'm a fool to hope that he still loves me. I never thought that he would..." as she said this, she started crying.

"Don't worry, I have a plan."

"A what?"

"Just leave it all to me. I'm sure my plan will work." Eric said with a grin.

"What plan?" Sarah asked curiously.

**Chapter 4**

London, England

He glanced at his watch. He's been in that restaurant for an hour now. Will he ever arrive? He asked himself. He refilled his cup of tea. Where is he?

"Sorry I'm a little late Mr. Hampton." Eric said with a smile.

"Oh, you're here." Daniel said as he stood up to shake hands with the president of the "Hamilton Enterprise". _Little?_ He asked in his mind. _Little_ late!

"So, where were we? Oh, yes, the contracts right?" Eric asked though his teeth. He was trying to stop himself for wanting to punch Daniel's face for what he did to Sarah.

"Before we sign the contracts, I would like to invite you for dinner. You could bring your _fiancée_ with you if you want. Here's the address," he said as he handed him a calling card. "I'm expecting you to come tonight. We will be waiting for you."

"But I thought you live in Berkshire?" Dabiel asked as he read the address.

"Yes I do. It's just that I also have a house here in London and I have decided that I'm going to spend the year living in London for business," Eric said, looking at him hard. "Are you coming?"

"Sure, it's a pleasure. _We_ will come," he said. "Now, about the contracts..."

Sarah was in her room in Eric's house in London. They moved in last night after he told her about his plan.

"I have a feeling that somebody tried to kill you. The explosion of your car might have been planned. And somebody out there is so happy because they thought you were dead. And I think the one that tried to kill you is a member of your family." Eric had said to her the morning she cried.

"What do you mean? That one of my relatives wants me dead? Do you think it was—it was-"

"Nathalie? It's possible, very possible. Just look at the situation. You said to me that the night your car exploded, Nathalie left you in the car because she needs to by something. You wanted to go with her but she wouldn't let you to. She said that you should wait for her. She said that right? And now that they thought you were dead, she was engaged to the man you love. Don't you think that she is the one who tried to kill you? There's a big possibility. Maybe she wanted to have your Daniel, which may be the reason why she wanted you dead. She wanted to have Daniel for her own, so she planted a bomb in your car and left you in it so you would explode. But luckily, you got off the car before the explosion. Am I right?"

Sarah could only just nod at him. She was too shocked to speak. Finally, she said to him, "You talk like a detective." she said laughingly. "Have you solved many crime scenes already?" she joked.

Eric laughed very hard. Then, he cleared his throat and became serious. "Just answer my question, Sarah. Please."

"Well, I guess you're right. But I still can't believe it. Nathalie will never—"

"Never what? Nathalie would never try to kill you? Is that what you want to say? Are you going to say also that Daniel would never leave you and find out if you really are dead?" Eric asked. "You can't trust people nowadays."

"But we have no proof." Sarah said. She looked as though she was about to cry again.

"Don't cry Sarah, please don't. Look, my plan is that we will find out who tried to kill you. We will make the guilty look guilty." Eric said.

"What? How?" Sarah lookd puzzled.

Eric sighed. "We will show you to the public. I will invite Daniel and this Nathalie to come over to my house in London for dinner. And you will be there. We will move to London tonight. We will make them all believe that your name is Anneliese Vandenberg. We will make them believe that you are my fiancée and that I've met you in New York a year ago, we were both in vacation then. And we will tell them that we fell in love with each other. Then we have been together since then, and about a month ago I asked you to marry me, and that's it. We will pretend that we were lovers. You know, to make the guilty look guilty when she or he sees you. And, to make that Daniel jealous and guilty for being unfaithful to you. Do you like the plan?"

"Very much. You're so brilliant. But I'm scared, what if they try to kill me again? What if—" she broke off because Eric pulled her into his arms, hugged her, and stroked her hair. "Don't worry; I'm here to protect you from any harm. No one can hurt you while I'm here," he said to her.

So now, Sarah was in London, waiting for Eric to come home. When Eric entered her room, there was a smile in his perfect face. "They will come. I think our plan is going to work. Now, why don't you get ready for tonight's dinner? Wear your best dress. We will be expecting you 5 minutes after they arrive. You know the plan right? Good, so we'll see you later, ok?" at that, he left the room.

"Thank you for accepting my invitation." Eric said cheerfully as he greeted Daniel and Nathalie. "I've been waiting for the both of you."

"Thank you for the invitation. By the way, this is Nathalie, my fiancée."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Hamilton" Nathalie said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Ms. Delacaure. Shall we?" Eric said to them as he led them into his huge townhouse in London. "Please, take a sit first. Dinner will be ready in a while."

"Oh, they're here." Came a beautiful voice that is so familiar to them. They looked up and saw Sarah coming down the stairs. She was wearing a beautiful lavender dress, a ribbon in her hair. Nathalie and Daniel stood up, their mouths open. They just stood there, gaping at her.

"By the way, this is my fiancée." Eric said as he slid his hand on Sarah's arm.

"Fiancée?" Daniel and Nathalie asked at the same time.

"Yes, I'm his fiancée. It's nice to meet you; I'm Anneliese by the way." Sarah said as she smiled at them sweetly. Then she turned to look at Eric. "Eric, honey, don't you think we should eat now. It's already seven o'clock. Guess what, I'm the one who baked the cake for dessert."

"Really? I've always loved your cakes and cookies," Eric said as he led them to the huge dining room.

"So, how did you two met each other?" Sarah asked Nathalie once they were seated.

"What? Oh, yes—uh, we met a long time ago. Um, since we were kids," Nathalie said slowly, looking Sarah direct in the eye. "How about you two?" Nathalie asked Sarah and Eric.

"We met in New York." Eric said quickly. At that, both Nathalie and Daniel stared at him with opened mouth.

"New York?" Daniel asked as he swallowed hard. "How?" he narrowed his eyes at him.

Sarah didn't let Eric to answer. "About five years ago, I went to the park. There, I saw the most handsome man in the world. He was sitting on a bench, watching the swans swim on the lake. Then he took his camera and took a picture of the swans. I was too shocked to see such a beautiful man. I didn't even notice that he was walking toward me. When I realized that he was talking to me, I fell. I fell but he caught me into his arms. Then, I said to him 'Thank you for saving my life.' then he said, 'By saving your life, I also saved mine. By the way, I'm Lee Alastair Eric Hamilton. You can call me Eric.' " Sarah said with a smile. She was holding Eric's hand and looking at him with twinkling eyes.

"Right honey?" Sarah asked with her sweetest smile.

"Ah—yeah. You're right. And after a few weeks I asked you to be my girlfriend. And after that, we have never been separated," he said. Then, Eric kissed Sarah's hand. "I will never forget the day we met."

Daniel cleared his throat. "What a beautiful love story. Shall we eat first? The food is getting cold."

"Sure." Sarah said to him. Then she looked at Nathalie. She was sitting so quietly. Maybe Eric's right, Sarah thought. Maybe Nathalie is guilty. Sarah was very nervous and afraid. But she concealed it with a smile. She wanted to tell them who she really is and slap Daniel for breaking her heart.

The whole dinner was so quiet. Eric and Sarah were the only one whose talking. Daniel and Nathalie were just staring at them, especially at Sarah. Eric and Sarah were so sweet. They were talking to each other like they were love birds.

After dinner, Eric and Sarah bade them goodnight. Then inside the car, Daniel and Nathalie were so quiet like they've seen a ghost. They were just looking out the window of the car.

Once they were gone, Eric laughed hard. "Where did you get that story of yours?"

Sarah laughed with him. "I made it all up. But not all. It's true that you said your whole name to me when I first met you. And—" she broke off, then smiled. "It's true that when I first saw you, I told to myself that you're the most handsome man in the world." She was blushing when she said this.

"Really? Even handsome than your Daniel?" he said, one eyebrow raise.

"I don't want to talk about that. I just want to go to bed. I need some sleep," she said as she headed up the stairs. "Well, good night and see you tomorrow!" she called to him.

Eric just smiled, and then he went to his own room. "Why?" he asked himself in a whisper. "Why is it that when she looks at me with her beautiful blue eyes, my heart beats faster and faster. I can't take my eyes off of her. Am I in love for the first time in my life? Have I learned to love Sarah for 7 months? Why not? She's smart, kind, thoughtful, sweet, intelligent and beautiful. Have I loved her since I first saw her lying dead on the road? Have I? No, she's not yours Eric. She belongs to someone. Yes, she belongs to someone. She belongs to the man she loves, and that is Daniel. Not me and never will be. She will never learn to love me."

The next morning, Eric was brooding. "Where is she?" Eric asked Vanessa, coming down the stairs. "I checked her bedroom but she's not there. Where is she? What if she's been kidnapped and—and—and—"

"You don't have to worry. I'm here," Sarah said, laughing. "You're being a little paranoid. I was in the library when I heard you shouting. Are you ok?"

"I'm ok. I'm just worried that—that—" _I will lose you_, he said to himself.

"That?"

He cleared his throat. "That—uh, that you're not comfortable in this house and you ran away," he said slowly.

"I will never do that. And besides, I'm comfortable in this house. And I'm comfortable when I'm with you," she said the last word without thinking. Then she put her hand to cover her mouth. "I mean, I—" she broke off, to her shock, Eric hugged her tightly. "Is there something wrong? Eric?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to uh, you know, hug you" Eric said as he stopped hugging Sarah. "Do you Want to go to the park?"

"Sure. I'm just going to change my clothes." Sarah climbed up the stairs.

"Take your time." Eric called.

Once they were inside the limo, Eric said, "Starting tomorrow, you will not be able to see me in the morning."

"Why?"

"I need to go back to work. After all, I'm the president and the company needs me. I hope you understand. I've been gone for a year and they really need a president right now. Anyway, if you're bored, you can go shopping or go to the park." Eric said.

"Can I visit you at your office?"

"Sure—I mean, if you want to." He smiled broader.

"Ok. So tomorrow I'll see you at your office."

"What if Daniel's there?" Eric asked, looking at her with his penetrating green eyes.

Before Sarah could answer, the driver said that they have arrived at the restaurant. They walked around the park and watched the birds, and fishermen. After that, they went to the restaurant and they talked and laughed endlessly..

"I don't know if you'll believe me. But I'm the general manager of our company. Stop laughing! I know it's unbelievable but it's true. You don't believe me, do you? Well, why don't you ask someone? I'm sure almost all the people here in London and in New York know the name 'Sarah Delacaure'."

"Oh really?" he said, one eyebrow arched. "I don't think so."

Sarah stood up. Then turned on her heel and headed for the door. Eric grabbed her wrist. "Look, I was just kidding. I'm sorry, it will never happen again. Please, just stay." Eric said with pleading eyes.

Sarah laughed as she took her seat. "You really think that I will leave you here? You're so funny; you look like a ten-year-old boy left by his mother. Now, let's eat our breakfast so we can go to the mall. Don't look at me like that, I will never leave you, promise."

"What is wrong with you?" Nathalie half-shouted at Daniel who was sitting in front of his computer in his office. "You're just going to act like as though nothing weird happened last night in that—that—that house! We just saw last night a girl who looks exactly like Sarah and you're just going to act as though nothing happened? What kind of person are you? You know what, last night, when I saw her I was so afraid. Afraid that you will—you will—" as she said this, she began to cry.

"Leave you?" Daniel asked, he was still looking at his computer. He didn't even bother to look at a crying Nathalie.

She sniffed. "Yes," Nathalie said anger in her voice. Then she left the room and shut the door hard. When she left the room, Daniel opened his drawer and withdrew a picture, a picture of Sarah.

"Sarah, wherever you are, wherever you are dead or not, you know that I love you. I will never forget you and you'll always be in my heart." He kissed the picture. "I don't know if that Anneliese girl is you. But when I saw her, I thought I might have a heart attack because I will be so happy if you're alive. I know it's impossible that you're alive, but, you're always alive in my heart." As he said this, he put the picture back in the drawer, grabbed his coat, and left his office. "Cancel all my meetings today," he called to his assistant.

**Chapter 5**

He went outside the flower shop inside the mall and was surprised to see Eric and Sarah—Anneliese, he corrected himself. But even though she is not Sarah, he still feels jealous.

"Hi," Eric called as he walked toward him, Anneliese in _his_ right. "So what are you doing here? Don't you have meetings to attend? Or are you having a day off?"

"Day off," Daniel said with a smile in his lips. His blue eyes were looking at Anneliese.

"What are those bouquets of flowers for?" Anneliese asked softly, noticing the bouquets of white roses and tulips on Daniel's hand.

"They're for, uh, Sarah." he said, barely like a whisper.

"And who is Sarah? Is she your sister? Cousin? Aunt?" Anneliese asked with twinkling eyes. Inside, her heart ached. She wanted to ask him why he was going to marry Nathalie. She wanted to ask him if he still loves her. She wanted to go to him and hug him.

She is _you_, Daniel almost said. But he controlled himself to say so. "She's my—my friend. She died 7 months ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Sarah got insulted by referring to her as only a "friend". She thought that maybe he really doesn't love her anymore.

"It's ok, don't worry. Do you two want to join me for lunch? It's my treat," Daniel said.

"We'd love to. But, can we come with you and visit your friend?" Anneliese asked, looking at Daniel straight in the eye.

"If you want to, sure," Daniel said with intense eyes. Maybe she is _not_ Sarah. Maybe she just looks like her. Maybe it was a coincidence, he thought. She is definitely not Sarah because this girl has her arm wrapped in the arms of Eric, and Sarah will never do that. She will never cheat on him and she never had any other man besides him. Sarah is so faithful and very quiet. When there's a party, she would just go to the garden, watching the stars and the moon shine in the night. And for 2 years that they were together, she had _never _kissed him in the lips. She said that she will never kiss him in the lips until they were engaged. He had waited for that moment, but it never happened.

Oh yes, he loves her. He loves her beautiful face and her beautiful blue eyes. He loves her smooth and white skin and her beautiful blonde hair. And especially, he loves her enchanting smile. Sarah may be the most thoughtful, sweetest and kindest person he'd ever met.

This girl standing in front of him really looks like Sarah. But he doesn't know her. He doesn't know her thoughts and feelings. He doesn't even know if her personality matches Sarah's personality. Maybe they have the same looks but maybe they are not the same person.

Eric cleared his throat, "Do you have a problem?"

"No, no. It's just that I—I—I'm hungry. Come on, let's eat at the 'Citrus Restaurant' before we go to the cemetery. Let's just use my car, I mean, if you don't mind that is." Daniel said. And when Eric and Anneliese nodded, he led the way to the parking lot, to his car.

During lunch, everybody was quiet. Neither the three of them spoke. They were all quiet and eating their lunch. When they went outside the restaurant to the car, Eric whispered something to Anneliese and she nodded. When they were inside the car, Anneliese asked Daniel if Eric could sit in the backseat with her. Daniel nodded and he looked them as though they have done something that had hurt him.

When finally, they reached the private cemetery of the Delacaure's, Anneliese looked as though she was going to burst into tears. When Eric saw her eyes, he handed her his handkerchief and Anneliese wiped her eyes without being seen by Daniel. Daniel led them to a small beautiful garden that has beautiful flowers. At the end of the beautiful garden was an altar. At the altar were paintings that Sarah had painted. There were many of them. And at the middle of the altar, there was a gold small case that Anneliese knew was _her _ash. Eric was looking at the paintings and he seemed to be enjoying what he was doing that he doesn't even noticed that Anneliese was about to cry. But Anneliese controlled herself and looked at Daniel who was placing the flowers he'd brought in the middle of the altar.

"Is her ash inside that golden case?" Anneliese asked in a whisper. Then she looked up and saw Eric, looking at her in horror.

"Nope. Inside that case was her necklace. We found it near the car. If you're asking where her body is, we've never found it. Some says that because of the big explosion, her body was not saved. Maybe she exploded with the car," as he said this, tears were flowing down from his eyes. "Her death is really awful isn't it?"

"Yes," Anneliese said in a low voice. "It really is awful, right honey?" she glanced at Eric who was in the state of shock. Anneliese narrowed her eyes at him.

"Huh? Ah, I mean—yeah. It is really awful to die in a way like that, right?" At that, he went toward her, leaned, and kissed her in the nose. "I would die if I'll lose you," he said with all sincerity. After he said that, he too was shocked of what he had done. He kissed a girl in the nose! He doesn't have the right to do that kind of thing because shewas not his.

Daniel and Anneliese just looked at him, looked at him hard. Daniel was the one who cleared the fog. He cleared his throat, "Wow, what a loving boyfriend you are. Anneliese is so lucky to have you." He looked at Eric and Anneliese who was still looking at each other with intense eyes. "Are you two okay?"

Finally, Anneliese and Eric looked at him and nodded. "We're okay. It's just that...we were...uh, too afraid to lose each other that we were too stunned to what I've said." Eric then looked at Anneliese, who has her eyes on something.

"Where did you get that?" Anneliese said in a low voice as she walked toward the painting. It was a painting of a beautiful unique small house that has many flowers on the railings of the porch and on the windows. When she touched it, she turned to look at Daniel for an answer. Daniel shrugged and walked toward the painting to look at it closely.

"Beats me. That painting was not here yesterday. I've never seen it before. But whoever put this painting in here must have a reason. Maybe he or she is an old friend of Sarah's and painted this one for her. She must have brought it this morning." He looked at the back of the painting. "Hey look! There's a signature in the back, 'Erika'. Erika?"

Anneliese just stared at the painting. "I think Eric and I should be going. I don't feel so good." she said without looking at both men. Then she started down the path. "Are you coming?" she called to Eric.

"We have to go. Thanks for the lunch." Eric said to Daniel as he followed Anneliese down the path.

"But your car is at the mall. Maybe I'll just d—" Daniel called but Eric cut him off.

"No thanks. No need for you to drive us home, if that's what you're offering. I'm just going to call our driver to pick us up. Thanks anyway. Bye!" Eric said as he ran toward Anneliese and put his hand around her shoulder and walked together.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Eric asked Anneliese once they were inside the black limo. "Are you crying? What happened? Please look at me and answer me. Please," Eric said as he stroked Anneliese's smooth long blonde hair.

"Painting," she said in a very low voice that is like a whisper.

"What?"

"The painting my mother had painted for me when I was eight. She said that it was her dream house," as she said this, tears were forming in her eyes.

"Tell me; tell me about your mother and that painting. Tell me everything that is to know. Maybe I could help you," Eric said. He has always been a good listener. When you need someone to talk to, Eric is just the one you should call. Eric is a good advisor and a listener. Some says that he should be a lawyer or a psychiatrist instead of a company president because, when he listens, he figures out things that can solve the problem. In short, he is a good observer, a quick-thinker and he is so smart and talented. At 19, he started working on his father's company, the 'Hamilton Enterprise', a rich and famous company.

Now, it is time for him again to listen to some problems and think of something to solve it or to help to overcome the problem. But, the truth is, this one is different. He's going to listen to Sarah and he should help her. He could see in her eyes, her beautiful eyes that she has many problems other than her problem on Daniel and on the person who tried to kill her by putting a bomb in her car. He should listen to this one, the one that is about her mother that she never mentioned. And especially, he should listen to Sarah. He doesn't know why, but whenever he sees Sarah, his heart beats faster and faster. And when she is not near him or when she's not around, he feels alone, like he's the only one on earth. For him, Sarah is his light and life. "My mother loves to paint," Anneliese said. "When I was a kid, I'm always with her in her drawing room. All her drawings and paintings were wonderful. But that painting is different. I don't know when she'd painted it but when I saw it hanging on the wall of my room, I knew that it was hers. I asked her and she said that of all her paintings, it was the most important for her. I don't know why. What is in that painting that makes it special to my mom? She said that it was her dream house since she was a kid, but I can't see her point. I can't see why," Anneleise said as she closed her eyes on the memory.

"Where is your mother now?" Eric asked.

"I don't know!" Anneliese half-shouted. "I don't know anything about her. She's so secretive. The only thing I know about her is that she loves to paint and she wants to live in her dream house. But no matter she tried to persuade my father, he wouldn't let her have it," Anneliese said with bitterness..

"Can't have what?" Eric asked as he leaned forward.

"Can't have what she wanted."

"What does she want anyway?"

"_Her_ dream house. She really loves it, and she designed it on her own. It's not a big deal! She persuades my father to build her a house that looks exactly her dream house. But instead, my father got her a huge mansion or if not, a palace. My father said that he bought her 20 houses in different countries, but, she wants _her_ cute house, not a big one with many servants. He and my mother once fought because of that painting! My father doesn't like it because he thinks that that house doesn't fit her," she said, then looked down at her hands.

"I see. When did your mother die?"

Anneliese looked at him sharply. "She's not dead. She—she," Anneliese sighed and looked out the window. When she looked back at him, she said, "She left us when I was ten—without saying goodbye. She just left a note on the top of my piano. She just said that she needs to leave. It is not written on the note why. When I showed it to my father, he just scanned it, tapped my head, gave me back the note and left the room to go to work. After that, I went to _her_ painting room and realized that she took all her paintings with her. When my father went back from work, he looked as though nothing happened. During dinner, I asked him if he knows where my mother was and why she left. He looked at me sharply and got angry. Then, he yelled at me that he doesn't know where she was and why she left. After he yelled at me, he stormed out of the dining room. After that night, I never mentioned her again. And I'm so angry at her because she left us without even saying goodbye and telling why she needs to leave."

"What about her favorite painting? Did she take it too?"

"That's what I'm wondering. She had said that she loves that painting very much, but when I went in my room, it was still hanging on the wall. I was too stunned. Why did she leave her favorite painting? I'm getting curious and curious each day. I don't know what to do. After a month when my mother left, my father introduced to me my new mother," she said the last with much regret on her voice. She looks like she was about to cry. She looked down at her hands, and then said, "It doesn't matter now."

"Okay. Maybe some other time—when you're ready to tell me what had happened after you met your new mother." Eric said as he got off the car and stretched his hand to her to help her out. "For a mean time, let's just put this all behind us."

She just nodded and went upstairs to her bedroom.

**Chapter 6**

"Should I tell her or not?" Eric said as he paced in his room. He sat on one of his priceless white chair near the big blue aquarium. "Come on, Eric. Think, think! You should get this out of your chest and feel better."

There was a knock on the door. "Sir, it's me, Vanessa. May I come in?" Eric opened his door and looked up to see a very frightened and pale Vanessa. He has never seen her like this before. "Uh, sir, there's a little problem," she said slowly with shaking voice.

"What is it?" Eric asked as he opened the door for her to enter his room. "What has happened?" The old woman just gazed at him and said no word. Eric narrowed his eyes at her and Vanessa looked really scared. Whatever it is that she wants to tell him, she is afraid to tell him so. "I'm waiting." Eric said patiently.

"Oh, yeah. Now, about uh—about the tiny bit problem..." Vanessa said as she looked at the big diamond chandelier hanging from the ceiling. She doesn't want to look at him. "Uh," she breathed deeply. "Your sister is here," she said as she closed her eyes and put her hand on her ears. She was ready for the shout of Eric. But Eric didn't shout, and when she opened her eyes, he was still looking at her as though he was expecting her to say more. "Uh—"

Eric cut her off. "Where is Sar—I mean, where is Anneliese?"

"Oh, her. Miss Anneliese is still sleeping right now. I know it's strange, it is now eleven o'clock. She usually gets up at seven or seven, but now—"

"She's exhausted. Let her sleep for how many hours as she wants. Don't wake her up. And when she does wake up, keep her busy in her room. Don't make her come down. I don't want her to see my sister, **or she'll find out**," he said as he left his room, and went downstairs to the visitor's room.

Lillian stopped at what she was doing and looked up to see her handsome brother. She put her phone down and run toward Eric and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Eric. I've missed you. How dare you not visit me?" she said, sounding like a five-year-old girl who was asking her mother prettily to buy her something.

"It's nice to see you too, Lily." Eric said as he hugged her back. Lily broke off and looked at him with longing eyes.

"That's all? I came all the way from France to England just to see you and talk to you, and that's all you're going to say to me? What kind of brother are you? You didn't even asked me if I'm exhausted from the trip or how am I doing? You didn't even asked if I want some drink," Lily said as she sat hard on the couch, her arms crossed in her chest and looked out the window. Then she stood, grabbed her tote bag, and went for the door knob. Eric caught her hand and looked at her with twinkling eyes. The next minute, they were laughing hard.

"You haven't change at all. You're still a shrew, a real pain in the neck. So, what brought you here?" Eric asked as he sat on the couch. Lily sat beside him.

"Nothing," Lily said, not looking at him. Then, she looked at him with adoring eyes and a big smile on her face. "Mother wants to know if you're okay. Are you?" she said.

Eric sighed. "You know the answer. Of course I'm fine. How is she?" he asked, leaning toward her.

"Who? Mother? Well, she's alright," she said, then rolled her eyes upward and looked at him with a knowing smile. "You're not going to ask about Father?" she asked as she looked at him expectantly.

Before Eric could answer, there was a knock on the door. Then it opened, and in came Vanessa. "Sorry to disturb your conversation. Sir, I need to talk to you," she said in a low voice. "In private," she said as she smiled at Lily.

Eric stood, glanced at Lily, and then followed Vanessa out of the room. "What happened?" Eric whispered as soon as he closed the door. "Is something wrong? Why—" he broke off because, coming down the stairs was Anneliese.

"Good morning!" she said happily. "Or should I say—good afternoon? It's almost twelve."

"Hi," Eric said in a very low voice. Then, he cleared his throat, "Why don't you, uh, check the new flowers that I ordered?" he said nervously. "Or—"

"Is something amiss? Your face looks as though you're hiding something from me, are you?" she said as she put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows. "Tell me, what is it you're hiding?" When Eric just stared at her, she looked at Vanessa, who was quietly standing beside Eric. She narrowed her eyes at _her_. "Are you involved in this? If you are, you better tell me what's going on."

The old woman just gaped at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but she glanced at Eric, closed her mouth, and went to the kitchen.

"Uh…" Eric said. But before he finished his sentence, the door to the salon burst open. A woman, wearing a green dress that matches her eyes went out of the room and smiled at Anneliese when she saw her.

"Oh," the woman, who must be at Anneliese's age said as she looked Anneliese from head to toes. "May I know who you are, and what you're doing here?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

Anneliese just stared at the woman hard. Finally, she said, "Um, I'm Anneliese by the way, Anneliese Vandenberg," she said as she extended her hand to shake the woman's hand. After the handshake, Anneliese looked at Eric, then at the woman who's standing in front of her. "May I know your name?" she heard herself say.

"I'm Lillian. You can call me Lily if you want to. Right, Eric, _my dear_?"

Eric just nodded and was still looking at Anneliese as though he wants to tell her something. He doesn't want her to know that he is a—

"I'm sorry," Anneliese said. "You must have been shocked to see me here. Didn't your boyfriend asked your permission for me to stay here? But, anyway, you don't have to worry, I'm just a visitor and I will leave soon. Um, you really don't have to worry. We're just friends. So, uh, please excuse me, I need to get some fresh air," she said as she went outside, to the garden.

Anneliese sat on a bench, looking at the beautiful white swans in the lake. She sighed and closed her eyes as she remembered the wonderful hours yesterday.

"Guess what," Eric had said to her that morning. There was excitement in his beautiful voice.

"What?" she said as she rubbed her eyes. She's too sleepy to feel the excitement he's feeling, whatever the reason was. She looked at him in question, but he just pointed out the window. When she glanced at the window, she had covered her mouth in shock. It was the first day of snow! She went passed Eric, and opened the door to the big terrace. She closed her eyes and extended her hands to feel the snow. When she opened her eyes, she looked up and saw Eric, who was looking at her with a big smile in his face.

"Do you want to go to the garden? It has a big space and, uh, we could—" he sighed. "I know it's a childish thing to do, but—"

"But what? What is it that you want us to do?" she asked as she looked at his beautiful face.

"Maybe we could play in the snow. The garden is the perfect place," he said with his eyes closed. He was expecting her to laugh at his childish idea, but when he opened his eyes slowly, she was just staring at him with a smile. He looked at her with a smug smile in his face.

Anneliese turned her back to him. When she looked back at him, there was the look of excitement in her face. She extended her hand to him, "That's a good idea. I love playing in the snow. Let's go."

Eric smiled back at her. He took her hand in his and they walked together to the garden. Once they were out in the snow, Eric had put his warm coat on Anneliese.

They chased one another and threw snowballs at each other. They laughed, and laughed, and laughed. They created a big snowman, with a big carrot on its face to serve as a nose. They had lots of fun.

They went inside because Anneliese decided to make a soup and bake a chocolate cake with cream, strawberries and blueberries on top. Eric volunteered to help her bake the cake and make the tea.

The cooks were astonished when Eric had asked them to leave the kitchen. He had said that he and Anneliese will cook their own brunch and they will eat it at the garden table. He said that he and Anneliese don't need _their_ help, and they can prepare their own brunch by themselves.

They had fun in the kitchen also. They laughed hard, especially when Eric "accidentally" put the flour on Anneliese's cheek. Then, Anneliese did the same to Eric while he's not looking.

The maids, who were secretly listening on the back door of the kitchen where shocked to hear Eric's laughter. He only laughs hard when his sister pays him a visit.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be at work today?" Anneliese asked as she wiped the flour in her face with a white handkerchief. When Eric didn't answer, she raised her eyebrow.

Eric sighed. "I was on my way to work when it snowed. So I turned the wheel and went back because I love snow and I know you love it too." _And i love you_... Eric said to himself.

Anneliese looked at him with a knowing smile. "Oh I see. You want to spend the day with me, playing in the snow. Is that right?"

Eric looked away to hide his smile. That was _his_ idea. He wants to spend another day with her. When he looked back at her, he just smiled at her. Then, he carried their brunch in a silver tray. Before he reached the back door, he halted and looked at her. "Are you coming or not?"

Anneliese followed him and opened the door for him. The maids were almost caught!

After they ate their meal, Alice, one of their maid-servants, ran to them with two boxes in her hand. She looked exhausted. "Here it is sir. Two pairs of ice-skating shoes, a man's and a woman's."

"Thank you," Eric said as he took the two boxes from her hands. "Is it ready?"

"Yes sir." Then, she left them alone in the garden.

Anneliese looked at Eric in question. Eric just stood, grabbed her hand and led her to an open ice-skating rink. Eric must have ordered this to be done while they were busy cooking their meal.

"Ready?" he asked as he handed her a pair of ice-skating shoes.

Anneliese looked at him and smiled. Then, they sat on the nearest bench and put on their ice-skating shoes. With holding hands, they skated and skated gracefully. Then, while they were skating, they played snowball fight again.

They played in the snow all day. It was sunset when they were on their way back in the house, Eric had kissed her quickly on the cheek. Then, when Anneliese looked at him with wide eyes, he looked away with a smile. He looked back at her in the corner of his eyes. Then, he looked away to hide his face.

"Eric," Anneliese said.

When he turned his head to look at her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her lips to his. It was a gentle kiss, but with feeling. Eric kissed her back, and the gentle kiss became a passionate one.

When they broke off, Anneliese and Eric were blushing. They didn't look at each other. It was Eric who broke the spell. "Would you look at the time? It's already six, and it's time for dinner. Let's go?" Eric said as he extended his hand to her.

Anneliese was still shocked of what she did a while ago. She shook her head to clear her mind. Then she placed her hand on top of Eric's hand and they walked together inside the house.

Anneliese smiled as she opened her eyes. Yes, yesterday is the greatest day of her life. But, maybe, it is now the end of it. Eric hadn't told her that he has a beautiful girlfriend. Then, she thought of Daniel and the painting of her mother.

"Maybe it's time. Maybe it is the time for me to reveal who I am. It's time for them to know that I was alive and not dead," she said to herself. "Maybe I should leave right this instant and never—" Never what? Never see him again? Never see the man who has taught me so much about life? Never see the man whom I have learned to love so much?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "No," she whispered to herself. "You don't love him. You have just been carried away by your feeling, that's all. You don't love him and you don't have the right to be jealous. He's not yours," she kept saying to herself. Then, she took a deep breath and stood up.

No, she was not going to act like a jealous wife or a jealous fiancée. She will go straight back to the house, treat Eric's girlfriend as a friend, and be nice to her and Eric. After all, she's just a friend of Eric and maybe his girlfriend would understand. Yes, yes, that's right.

**Chapter 7**

"Sorry for my behavior a while ago," Anneliese said. Anneliese and Lily were strolling in the flower garden. Eric was not with them because he had gone to work before Anneliese had returned from the lake.

"That's okay, I understand," Lily said as she sniffed a red rose that matches the color of her lips. "I know you were just shocked to see me. I, too, was shocked to see a woman who is more beautiful than I am," she said as she looked at Anneliese with a smile.

Anneliese just smiled at _her_.

"So, how long have you two had seeing each other?" Lily said as she sniffed another flower. This time it was a stargazer. When Anneliese didn't answer, she looked at her.

"What do you mean?" Anneliese heard herself say. "You mean Eric and me?" she asked as she swallowed hard. _Why is she asking me this kind of question?_

"Of course," Lily answered.

"Uh, it's a long story of how we'd met," Anneliese said. "But I can assure you that there's nothing between us," she said quickly before Lily could react. "We are just friends."

"Really?" Lily asked in disbelief with knowing eyes. "But I thought—"

"What you thought is wrong. We are really just—" Anneliese sighed. "Please, you have to trust me and your boyfriend—or is he your fiancé?" At that, Lily begun to laugh hard; laughed so hard that she almost fell.

She cleared her throat. "You—you thought that me and—" she laughed again. "You thought that I'm Eric's girlfriend?" she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Ah, yeah. What are you laughing at?" Anneliese asked in wonder.

"Now I understand your behavior lately. Now I understand why you're so cold to me when you first saw me, especially when I stood beside _your_ Eric." Lily laughed again.

It took a few seconds before Anneliese could realize what she'd meant. "What do you mean, _my_ Eric? He's not mine. He's yours right? And, I'm not cold to you this morning; I'm just not in the mood when I'm sleepy." Anneliese said as she and Lily took a sit.

"Now I really see that you are jealous of me and Eric," Lily said in disgust. "I can't blame you; all the girls are dying for him. Even my best friends are urging me to introduce him to them, but I never let them. You know, you're so lucky to have my brother. And he is also lucky to have a girl like you," she said as she looked at Anneliese expectantly.

_No wonder my brother had fallen in love with this very beautiful girl, _Lily thought. _Even though he'd not told me that he's in love, I can see it through his eyes that he is madly in love with this woman sitting across from me. I hope he earns her love. _

_ Of all the girls my mother had introduced to him, he'd never looked at them the way he's looking at this girl, she told to herself. He'd just ignore them when they're talking to him or when they are near him. _

_But this girl, this girl is really different. How did she capture my brother's heart that is so hard to catch? How? Is she an angel who came down from heaven to teach my brother how to love? At her angelic face, no doubt that she is an angel. I hope Eric will have the courage to tell this girl his true feelings for her. I hope that they will live happily ever—._

"Yes, I'm lucky to have him as my friend," Anneliese said carefully as she looked down at her smooth white hands. "But, you are the lucky one. You have him, a boyfriend that is so faithful to—"

"Don't say it again," Lily said as she waved her hand in dismissal. She leaned forward to look at Anneliese closely. "Look, let me get this straight. I am not—I repeat—I am _not_ Eric's girlfriend or fiancée. I'm only his lovely sister. Are you happy now that he doesn't have a girlfriend?" With her hands crossed in her chest, she leaned back at the chair while looking at Anneliese straight in the eye.

Anneliese just sat there, her eyes wide at the announcement. She didn't speak, or make a movement. She just sat and stared at Lily in question. When she recovered, she took a deep breath. "Uh..." was only the word that came out from her mouth.

Lily smiled at her reaction. Anneliese must have been relieved when I announced that Eric was only my brother, she thought. She must be so, so happy right now.

"_Sooooo_..." Lily began. She wanted to ask, do you feel relieved? But she controlled herself. She closed her mouth to let Anneliese speak and hear her comment.

But she just laughed. Then, after a few seconds, they were both laughing. "And I thought—" Anneliese began to say, but she couldn't finish her words because she and Lily couldn't stop laughing.


End file.
